We'll See Each Other Soon
by sheeeran
Summary: Penny and Leonard are over for good. Sheldon's right there to comfort her and he realizes his feelings for the blonde. She informs him that she plans on leaving Los Angeles and he just can't seem to grasp it. She tells him to count to three and that they'll see each other again soon. {Sheldon/Penny - 3 Part Story}
1. I

"Penny… Penny… Penny." He did his usual three-knock against Penny's door. He was concerned. After hearing raised voices from the hallway and then Leonard's attitude as soon as he entered the apartment, Sheldon knew something was wrong. So, as any normal friend would do, he stormed out of his apartment, marched across the short hallway and knocked on Penny's door.

It had taken a while for Penny to open the door. He assumed she was in her bedroom, putting away her things or pouring herself a glass of wine, but this time she was taking unusually long. Sheldon leaned forward, pressing his ear against the door, trying to make out any noise coming from inside. All he heard was muffled crying. And so, Sheldon reached for the doorknob, turned it, and pushed it open.

"Penny, I am unaware of the situation that had occurred out here in the hallway between you and Leonard, but judging by the way he entered the apartment, completely ignoring my welcoming statement, and the way he marched off towards his bedroom, I had a hunch…" He looked at Penny who was sitting down on her sofa, wiping the tears from her eyes as he tilted his head slightly. The blonde quickly stood up and walked towards Sheldon, wrapping her arms around her mid section. "And your hunch would be?" she asked, pursing her lips.

Sheldon raised his arm up slowly and rested his palm on Penny's shoulder. "That he hurt my friend." Penny looked up at Sheldon and shut her eyes, letting the tears fall from her eyes. Without a word, she took a step forward, hitting Sheldon's chest and cried. The physicist looked over her head, wide-eyed, and awkwardly wrapped his arms Penny's back. Quickly, Penny stepped away from Sheldon and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sheldon. I know how uncomfortable that makes you." Wiping the tears from her face, she turned around and took a seat on her sofa.

In the middle of the doorway, Sheldon began toying with his fingers as he looked over at Penny with a concerned look. He looked down at his hands and then back up and said, "Penny, it has come to my knowledge that when a friend is either A) blue or B) crying their eyes out, it is my job to fetch them a hot beverage. Now, if you will…" Sheldon extended his arm out towards his apartment door. The blonde shook her head. "I'm not going in there, Sheldon. I can't be in the same apartment as Leonard. Thank God, I'm leaving."

Sheldon turned his body to fully face Penny, yet he remained in the middle of the doorway. Puzzled, he crossed his arms against his chest. "Excuse me? Are you leaving us, Penny?"

Penny leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees while her palms were cradling her cheeks. She looked up at Sheldon and nodded. "My lease is up at the end of the month and it looks like Leonard and I are done for good, so why should I stay here? It's time for me to go, Sheldon."

He started taking small steps towards Penny's turquoise sofa. Despite the fact he didn't have a specific spot on the sofa, he quickly found comfort on the left cushion, since Penny had taken over the middle one. Sheldon folded his hands over his knees and tilted his head.

"But what if you and Leonard get back together?"

Penny lifted her head up from her palms and shook her head. "We are not getting back together, Sheldon! Do you know what he did? Do you want to know why this is the last time I will ever speak to him again? Do you?!" She had raised her voice, which caused Sheldon and lean back against the sofa.

"I'm sorry, Sheldon…" she whispered, dropping her face back into her palms.

Afraid, Sheldon found himself scooting closer and closer to Penny with his right arm extending over and lightly caressing her shoulder. She looked up at her friend and sobbed. "Tell me, Penny," Sheldon replied softly. He didn't look at her – Sheldon looked forward, at her TV, but still caressed her shoulder. Soon, he felt her head being lowered and finally, rested on his own shoulder. A small smile appeared on his face.

Penny sniffled and ran the back of her hand underneath her nose. "He had _coitus _with my sister," she said in between sobs. "Remember when she came into town for the premiere of my commercial? Well, her and Leonard did it… in my bathroom…"

Sheldon gasped lightly and shook his head, cursing Leonard in his thoughts. "Leonard is an idiot. He really does make poor choices in the relationship department." Penny laughed softly and cradled herself closer against Sheldon. His other arm wrapped around Penny and he couldn't help but feel great sympathy for his beautiful blonde friend.

The two just sat there on the couch, holding each other, but Sheldon mostly since he was playing the role of the concerned friend. He was leaning back against the sofa while Penny's legs were comfortably rested on the other cushion. He could hear her light breathing and he only assumed she was asleep. Sheldon sighed, both for the idiotic choices his roommate had partook in and his greatest worry in Penny.

The two had known each other for six years now. Well, Penny had known them all for six years. And in those six years, Sheldon had watched Penny go out with the most ignorant, absurd, and underdeveloped batch of guys anyone has ever come across. He had quickly picked up on the pattern and monitored their stupidity, taking notes on the early mornings he would hear her door slam and the nights where she came in super late. She brought home dumb guy after dumb guy and it irked him. Deep down, he found it hard to believe how a guy as incredibly intelligent as him could fall for a girl like… her.

Now, here he was, holding her as if she was his. Yet, he was holding her because of the result in her dating ignorant guys and Leonard, whose love life was deemed underdeveloped.

Sheldon felt his Flash t-shirt dampen from Penny's tears and now, her breathing had progressively gotten heavier, implying that she was in a deep sleep. Sheldon reached into his pocket and pulled out his gold pocket watch in which he got a few years back. It was nearing midnight and he had work to do, but all he wanted to do was stay here with Penny.

Sighing, he comfortably lifted Penny into his arms and walked towards her bedroom. He put her in bed, draped a blanket over her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Sheldon stepped back and looked at Penny; her noise was stuffy and her cheeks were glistening under the light from her side lamp. She was heartbroken and even Sheldon could tell.

So he decided to stay.

The next morning, Sheldon awoke to female voices. He tossed over and found himself lying on Penny's bedroom floor with many blankets covering him. He wiped his eyes and looked around the bedroom. Instead of the abnormally bright colored room decorations, the room was empty. He looked at the desk that once had picture frames of her and each of the guys, except the desk was clear. Sheldon looked on Penny's bed to find her stuffed animals, but they were gone. Her closet was empty, her beside tables no longer held the unnecessary knick-knacks girls splurged on at Target and her bathroom was wiped out.

Sheldon got off the floor and began folding the blankets quickly, placing them on top of the undecorated bed. He walked into the living room, watching the three girls sit on the turquoise sofa with wine glasses in their hands and a half-full bottle of wine in front of them.

"Penny?"

The three girls all turned around, but Penny was the only one who stood up. She placed her glass on the table and walked around the sofa, making her way towards Sheldon. "What's going on-" he asked, looking around the place. The apartment was empty. There was nothing. All that was left that belonged to Penny was the blue couch and the wine glasses. Penny walked up Sheldon and sighed. He looked at her and noticed how red her eyes were. He wanted to hug her.

"Sweetie, I'm leaving. You remember, right? I told you last night."

Sheldon shook his head. "I didn't think you were serious, Penny. You joke around a lot-

"Well, this time I'm not joking. I'm leaving, Sheldon."

"Where are you going?"

"New York."

Penny pursed her lips and wrapped her arms around Sheldon. Slowly, his arms came around and wrapped over her shoulders. His head rested on top of hers and looked over at Bernadette and Amy who quickly finished their wine. Sheldon shut his eyes for a moment, wanting nothing more than for this to be a dream. Penny couldn't be leaving. She was a prominent role in their social group and a prominent role in his life. It couldn't be real.

Pulling away, she looked up at Sheldon and said, "Oh, I'm going to miss you so much, Sheldon."

He didn't respond.

"Penny, it's 4:30, your taxi is probably outside waiting," Bernadette said softly. Penny turned around and gave her best girl friends a nod. She took in a deep breath and exhaled while making an 'O' with her lips.

"How about you two head down there? I'll be there in a second," Penny said, reaching for her bag. Amy and Bernadette nodded and walked towards the door. "We'll see you down there, bestie."

Once the two were finally alone, Penny took Sheldon's hand and led him towards her turquoise couch, where she took a seat on the middle cushion and he sat on the left side.

"Why are you leaving, Penny? I understand what Leonard did was proven wrong and unforgivable, but that doesn't have to result in you leaving Los Angeles. I'm sure you can just find a place in West Hollywood and you wouldn't have to worry about running into Leonard there. He's afraid of large crowds, as am I."

Penny shook her head. "This isn't just about Leonard, Sheldon." She paused. "This is about my career. Since I've moved here, I've got nothing to add onto my resume but two hemorrhoid commercials and an Anne Frank show above a bowling alley. I've talked to my agent and she said she has three auditions booked for me and they're waiting in New York. So you see, I have to go."

Sheldon nodded. "I understand."

"Hey," Penny said in a cheer-y voice. "Let's play a game."

"Alright, I enjoy games," Sheldon replied, sitting upright on the couch.

Penny smiled and stood in front of Sheldon, who was still sitting upright. "Alright, cover your eyes, Sheldon." And he did as he was told. Holding back the tears, Penny said, "I want you to count to three very slowly. And when you get to three, I want you to remove your hands from your eyes and smile, okay?" Sheldon nodded with his hands over his eyes. "Oh wait, I forgot…" as he removed his hands from his eyes, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his gold watch. He looked down at it and handed it to Penny.

"I want you to have this."

Penny looked at the watch and shook her head. "Sweetie, I can't take that."

Sheldon insisted. "Yes, you can. Here."

"But-

"No, buts," he interrupted.

Without another word, Penny reached for the pocket watch and held it in her hand tightly while trying so hard to hold back the tears. Sheldon looked at Penny and lifted his hand up to caress her cheek. "You're welcome."

A tear had escaped her eye, but Penny quickly wiped it away. "Alright, back to the game. Cover your eyes, Sheldon." Again, he did as he was told and rested his hands over his eyes. Penny wiped her eyes and held the pocket watch against her chest as she leaned forward.

"Count to three slowly and after three, I want you to open your eyes…"

While he had covered his eyes, a million things were running through his head and not one single thought was about science. They were focusing on Penny and her leaving and how badly he didn't want her to go and how much he was going to miss her, but he couldn't put it into words. He was only hurting himself but not doing anything about it. So, when he was allowed to open his eyes, he was going to tell her to stay… and that he cared deeply for her.

"I am going to miss you so, so, so much, Sheldon Cooper. You don't know how hard this is, but I really have to go…" Penny lowered her head so that she was face to face with Sheldon, yet she was still on her feet.

"One," whispered Sheldon and Penny's lips hovered over his.

"_I love you_."

"Two," he whispered, and Penny gently pressed her lips against his.

"_We'll see each other soon_."

"Three," Sheldon finished and he removed his hands from his eyes. Given that his eyes had been shut and covered for a while, his vision had resulted in a blur, but his vision quickly managed to become clear and once clear, he found himself left alone in the room.

No furniture, no light, and no Penny.


	2. II

_**Part II:** One Year Later_

Summary: It's been one year since Penny left Los Angeles, her two best friends, and Sheldon Cooper. The separation was insufferable, but a single letter made everything better and worse at the same time.

* * *

Penny was breathless. She had just run up four fleets of stairs to get to her apartment. The elevator was broken for the third time that same week and it constantly reminded her about LA. It reminded her of the story on how the elevator broken down and had been broken down for all six years she lived there. It reminded her of the many times she had walked up and down the stairs on her way to work and back. It reminded her of the times she would unintentionally run into Leonard, and the occasional times she would run into Sheldon.

Now, she was going up these stairs alone.

"Damn, the broken elevator," she muttered under her breath as she fumbled around with her keys; trying to get it into the keyhole was quite difficult. The lack of sexual arousal had really begun taking its toll on Penny, but the weird thing was her sexual life was still alive. She had regular intercourse with the same man, whose name was Nick, for the past month, yet it never developed into anything more. It was basically a one-night stand that happened over 20 to 30 times.

Once the key finally found its place, Penny, twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing her very empty, yet cozy New York studio apartment. She shut the door behind her and dropped the pile of letters that were trapped in between her arm and rib onto the side table that was placed beside the front door.

She headed straight to the far corner of the apartment, which was basically the bedroom part. All Penny did was place a used mattress on the floor and pushed it up against the wall. For decoration, she hung up some lights and a Los Angeles poster on the opposite wall and called it her bedroom. The blonde pulled her audition blouse over her head and tossed it on the floor. She shimmied off her black slacks and threw on a hoodie and her favorite Hello Kitty shorts.

Penny walked to the kitchen and started boiling some hot water. She looked around the apartment and flashbacks of her old place filled her head.

This was the ideal actor's apartment. It was one whole space, yet it was large enough to make four different rooms out of it. She looked over at her makeshift bedroom, which was next to her bathroom, and then she trailed over to the living room. She had her turquoise sofa here and also a new red chair that reminded her of the old one. In front of the sofa was a table she made herself. It really was just two wooden crates super glued together, but Penny was quite proud of it.

"_Let me get this straight, you found two wooden crates in an alley way after dark and took them back into your apartment and applied super glue to bond them together? Tsk, tsk, tsk. And do not get my started on that new red chair of yours! Goodness, Penny, you're just asking for cockroaches to fill your apartment." _The blonde laughed to herself as she turned off the stove and poured hot water over her tea bag because she knew that that was what Sheldon Cooper would have told her if she ever mentioned to him about her new furniture.

When she made herself comfortable on the sofa, she pulled the Star Trek blanket (that Sheldon kindly gave her as a thank you gift for taking him to Disneyland) over her legs and reached for the stack of letters she had gotten from the table beside the door before getting snug on the couch.

"Xanax information, electric bill, internet bill," Penny began flipping through the letters. "Credit card scam, bills, bills, bills, Sheldon, bills– SHELDON!" Penny sat up and placed her tea on the crate table. She felt the ends of her lips tug upwards into a smile she couldn't control. Dropping all of the other letters onto the floor, she ripped open Sheldon's envelope and out fell a letter and a magazine clipping.

She grasped the letter and began to read –

_Dearest Penny,_

_One year has passed since you decided to leave the discouraging, yet occasionally amusing city of Pasadena and move out to the bustling metropolitan of New York. I can only assume you have been fortunate to gain many auditions since it has been one year we last spoke. Despite my hectic schedule at the university and having to live by the usual agenda at the apartment, I have decided to write you a letter. One can only imagine the nonsense that has happened since you departed, but continuing my position as your great, and may I add, caring friend, it is my duty to inform you in all that has occurred._

_It is currently 11:16 pm, Tuesday night. As you may remember, the gang and I have dinner at The Cheesecake Factory on Tuesdays. I had my usual: barbecue bacon cheeseburger with the barbecue, bacon, and cheese on the side and washed it down with both water and lemonade. Our waitress was somewhat pleasant, yet she didn't have that smile you have when you walk up to our table. _

_Don't worry. I didn't bring you up at dinner. I did not wish to hear Leonard bad mouthing you as I ate my burger._

_Aside from my thriving social life, I had been offered quite a huge promotion at the university. I've been given a brand new office and this time there are no unusual signs of distractions. It's quite nice. Leonard, Rajesh, and Howard helped move all of my belongings from my old office into my new one. Remind me to send you pictures._

_And care to remind me why you requested I handwrite you letters? The last time I wrote a handwritten letter was when my MeeMaw mailed a Christmas card a few years ago and in that card she wrote in enormous letters, DON'T YOU DARE EMAIL ME, MOONPIE. I WANT A NICE, HANDWRITTEN LETTER TO YOUR MEEMAW._

_I lean more towards emails, but I guess I can make an exception._

_Sharing the space in the envelope with this time-consuming, handwritten letter, you will find a clipping of an article about myself that was published in Caltech's newspaper. You will read about my latest achievements and how wonderful I am as a professor. Just a few months ago, I held a class in an auditorium that held over 300 graduate students – I felt like Stephen Hawking. _

_Truth be told, I am running out of things to write, Penny. It is now 11:35 and my hand is cramping. Goodness, I may have to email you next time. This is ten times worse than spending hours writing formulas on a whiteboard over and over again._

_To be quite honest, Penny, Howard and Rajesh miss you. Bernadette and Amy miss you as well, but I am most certain of the fact that you text those two on a daily basis. How come I have not received a text from you? The last time you did so was a few months ago. I am beginning to think that you have replaced me, Penny. Tell me who this intelligent, admirable physicist is. I'll kick his behind._

_Please let me know how you are doing. It's been a year._

_I may be self-absorbed at times, Penny, but I care deeply about you._

_I miss you._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper_

_or simply_

_Sheldon_

_(11:46 pm)_

As she read the last word out loud, Penny shut her eyes and held the letter close to her chest. She missed him so much, and now she finally knew he felt the same. He missed her – Sheldon Cooper missed Penny. That's all she needed to know to help her get through the rest of the week. A tear ran down her cheek as she folded the letter, putting it back into the envelope along with the article clipping she read over.

Six years ago, she met a tall, lanky fellow named Sheldon Cooper. He got annoyed with her unfamiliarity with physics and anything sci-fi related. What annoyed him even more was when she sat in his spot, but really, that amused her more than anything. She would have never imagined being so close to a guy like him. And what was even crazier was that she would have never (in a million years) imagined herself falling for a guy like him. He was ridiculous, she was aware – everybody was aware, but she managed to get underneath the thick layers and see the real Sheldon.

She knew his weaknesses, his guilty pleasures, what made him happy, sad, and even speechless. It had taken six long years, but she figured it all out.

She just couldn't believe it had taken this long to realize her feelings for him. Also, she wanted to know how long it took for Sheldon to realize his feelings for her. It all seemed too unreal: the country girl with dreams of being an actress falling for the country boy who was smart as a whip and vice versa.

But it was real life.

The sad thing was Penny couldn't do anything about it. There were a thousand miles in between the two of them, and Penny was quite successful out in New York, compared to what she managed to get in LA. She couldn't go back. Not yet.

Besides, Sheldon was a busy bee. He wouldn't have time to hang out with Penny if she went back, even for just a little visit. Therefore, Penny decided it wasn't time to go back to LA. She needed more time to audition, more time to be away from Leonard, and more time to figure out what to do with Sheldon.

"I'll call him soon," she whispered to herself as she leaned back on the sofa, pulling the blanket over her body. Biting down on her bottom lip, Penny was struggling to hold back the tears. She kept telling herself she would call. That's what she said a year ago, at the end of a conversation with him. Penny had just landed in New York and she was on her way to meet with her agent; Sheldon asked about the plane ride and the weather and Penny replied with descriptive words, just to keep him on the phone longer. He recognized her improved vocabulary and laughed and Penny choked. She didn't want to hang up.

"I hear your agent speaking to you, so that is my cue to hang up the phone now," he said, once Penny reached her agent's rental studio. Luisa, her agent, was explaining to Penny about the auditions she had lined up for her. When she heard Sheldon say he was going to hang up, she pursed her lips.

"O-okay," she replied, as she held the phone close to her ear.

Sheldon spoke again. "Now, call back in a few days or so for a biweekly check up."

Penny nodded to herself and took in a deep breath. "I will."

"Promise?"

She shut her eyes to hold back the tears and continued to nod. "I promise, Sheldon."

"Goodbye, Penny."

"Bye, Sheldon." And he was gone.

Penny sat on her sofa, curled up like a ball, thinking about the one guy that had always been there for her. She said many times she was going to call. She promised him. He wanted to know how she was doing, and he missed her. _He missed her._ No matter how many times she told herself she was going to call him, she knew deep down inside was she really wasn't.

If she did, then she would hear his voice.

And that alone was a good enough reason for her to get on a plane back to LA, and back to him.

* * *

Originally, the first part was a standalone, but the comments were all positive and requested I write more to it. I hope this doesn't disappoint. This is just in Penny's third person point of view, and there will a third and final part, which will be in Sheldon's third person point of view. I hope you all enjoy this one as much as the first part. I am just really in love with the idea with Sheldon and Penny. Have a lovely day! Xo


	3. III

_**Part III:** Reunion_

* * *

Four years had passed since Penny moved out from apartment 4B. Sheldon couldn't help but glance over at the door every time he walked out of the apartment or was coming back home. Every bone in his body, as well as every nerve in his system, wanted to march across the hall, knock on the door, and call out Penny's name. However, the oblivious, yet remarkable, blonde was no longer going to greet him. Instead, if he chose to go over and knock, an older man, who was probably in his mid 40's with a gut full of cheap beer, would open the door. And the thought of that constantly made him blue.

It was around 4:30 pm, which was the expected time Sheldon reached his apartment door. It had taken a while, but Sheldon had become successful at sticking to his new schedule since Leonard decided it was time for him to move out. The physicist had to adjust to the changes, but that was something he was used to since the blonde no longer came knocking on their door.

The weekly schedule had to be changed since Penny no longer dined with them. He had to catch rides with Howard whenever Leonard was called into the lab early because that was what Penny did. He had to relearn the bus route and bus times since both, Penny and Leonard, decided it was time to go.

Two years after Penny moved out, Leonard had found someone else. Sheldon had recognized the changes in Leonard's behavior, and he assumed it was just Leonard moving on and accepting the single life. However, after a year of dealing with a very angry, lonely Leonard, Sheldon noticed his best friend and roommate had not been coming home regularly. It had taken a few months to realize it, but it finally clicked – Leonard was with someone else. He had moved on. Penny was no longer weighing him down.

"Her name is Victoria Crestwood. She's a neurologist at Huntington Memorial Hospital – here in Pasadena. I met her when I was taken to the hospital a year ago when I had that asthma attack. Remember? It's crazy, and I'm sorry for not telling you, but you made it perfectly clear you didn't want to add another member in our social group, so I kept our relationship sorta on the down low," said Leonard as he confessed everything to Sheldon one night during pizza night.

Sheldon averted eye contact with his roommate. "I see," he replied, placing his plate on the table. "Well, since you took into consideration that needing a new member to replace Penny was out of the question, I forgive you for your secrecy. Now, may I inform you that I have no intention of becoming '_best buds'_ with your new lady friend?" Leonard shrugged. "Good. Now pass me the ranch dressing," Sheldon said.

Leonard leaned over and handed Sheldon the bottle of ranch dressing. While he was doing so, he blurted out, "I'm moving out and moving in with Victoria."

"Thank yo- _What_?" He looked up at Leonard with wide eyes.

His friend with four eyes nodded. "That's right," he said. "It's time for me to move out."

It had been two years since Leonard moved out. Two years of leaving Sheldon to go to work alone every morning and come back home companion-less. Sheldon sighed as he fumbled with his keys. He turned the doorknob, pushed it open, and dropped the keys into the bowl that was right near the door. He shut the door behind him and walked over to his desk area. It was quiet, but it had been this quiet since his best friend slash ex-roommate moved out.

After Leonard moved all of his stuff out, the amount of knick-knacks, books, action figures on display, and work related materials had lessened the great appearance of the apartment. It now looked much cleaner, but larger, yet emptier, and even though it was hard for Sheldon to admit… he was lonely.

A year after Leonard moved in with Victoria, he proposed and the two were expected to wed later on that year. Sheldon was there; he was the best man. He looked at Leonard's expression as Victoria walked down the aisle and on his face was the look he used to give Penny – a loving, hopeful look. It angered Sheldon knowing that Leonard drove Penny away, and he missed her dearly. Often times, he stopped to think about her.

Why didn't she ever write back? Why didn't she ever text him? Or Skype?

He was aware that she kept in touch with Amy and Bernadette.

Why not him?

Sheldon placed his bag on his work chair and walked over to the fridge for a water bottle. He looked up at the calendar that stuck to the fridge with a practical Disneyland magnet Penny had gotten him as a souvenir. May 23rd. Four years since she moved away.

As soon as he got back to his desk, with his water bottle in hand, a notification popped up on his phone's screen.

"Hmm…"

He swiped his finger on the screen and an email popped up:

_Dr. Sheldon Cooper,_

_As the authorized representative of President Siebert and the entire Physics Department, I am pleased to offer you the tenure-track position in Physics at California Institute of Technology. Please print, sign, date, and return this letter and the following attachments to indicate your acceptance. A formal contract will be issued to you later this month._

Sheldon's eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. He was speechless, elated, and feeling every kind of emotion that comes expected with the tenure acceptance email. If Leonard was still there, he might have just excitedly jumped up and down.

With a smile on his face, he sent a text message to his mother, regarding the tenure while constant notifications from Rajesh, Howard, Barry, and Leonard popped up on his screen all congratulating him on accomplishing what he had desired for so long. Sheldon felt a celebrity; his phone had never received so many text messages.

Opening up his thread with Penny, he typed up a quick update text – something he had been doing for quite some time now, just to let Penny know what has been happening around Pasadena, apartment 4A, Caltech, and on The Walking Dead. The down part was that she never got back to him.

However, that day was Sheldon's lucky day. Not only had he been given tenure, but he had received something else that probably meant more to him than that email. It was a reply from the blonde that once lived in apartment 4B.

_**Penny**__: Tenure?! Awww, I'm so proud of you sweetie! You deserve it! Looks like you're doing okay without me. I miss you so much. Xo_

* * *

"I'm not sure how to feel about this party," said Sheldon as he turned to Howard while holding a glass of fruit punch in his hand. He looked around and saw apartment 4A flooding with friends, family, and colleagues. Over by the kitchen island was Leonard and Victoria engaging in a conversation with Bernadette, Amy and Stuart, who happened to be her boyfriend. Raj was near the door, speaking to Barry Kripke and Leslie Winkle while everyone else in the room was all engaged in conversations; it was difficult to continue one when there was another conversation happening a few inches away.

Howard lightly punched Sheldon's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Sheldon. Bernadette and Leonard are taking care of everything. The guys and I wanted to throw this party for you because well, you deserve this much attention. You got tenure, and as much as it kills me to say this, you are an inspiration."

Sheldon looked at Howard with a poor attempt of a smile. "Why, thank you, Howard. I am pleased to know that I am an inspiration to you. Maybe, my great accomplishments will inspire you to finally obtain a doctorate degree."

"You're a pain in the ass, you know?" Howard mumbled while bringing his champagne up to his lips. Sheldon nodded. "I'm well aware of that, short stack."

There was a knock on the door and Raj was quick to get it. After a second, Raj shut the door behind him and walked over to the kitchen. "Sheldon, get the door!" Raj shouted over his shoulder, his Indian accent only getting thicker with drinks he was consuming.

"But you just got the door," Sheldon replied, puzzled.

Raj shook his head and waved his free hand in the air. "No, no, no… go get the door."

Sheldon looked around the room; it had gotten quieter. Everyone had stopped talking and his social group was huddled together near the kitchen island. He was confused as to what was happening, but he shook his own head lightly and walked over to the door.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see Penny on the other side. She stood right in front of him – her hair had grown much longer, her skin looked a lot brighter, and it even looked like she got thinner. Sheldon's mouth was agape. If his mother was looking directly at him, she would have said something along the lines, "Shelly, sweetie, shut that mouth of yours. Ya don't want Satan flying in there, now don't ya?"

Penny stood there with a smile on her face, while holding tightly onto her luggage handle and a bottle of champagne. She was looking up at the man who made Los Angeles home for her, and lucky for her, he was smiling back.

The party had gone silent. Everyone in the room was all waiting for either Sheldon or Penny to say something. Their eyes were on them – they were waiting for them to initiate a 'hello' or movement of any sort. Anything.

"Hi," Penny finally said. "Congratulations on getting tenure."

Sheldon's eyes remained widened. Without saying a word, he quickly wrapped his arms around Penny, embracing her tightly while resting his head against hers. He was facing apartment 4B with a real Sheldon Cooper smile on his face.

Penny's hand had let go of her luggage handle while she continued to hold onto the bottle of champagne. She raised her arms and wrapped them around Sheldon's waist, holding him closely.

"I missed you, Penny," he whispered.

She smiled against his chest. "I missed you too."

The two finally released their hold on each other and Sheldon grabbed Penny's luggage and free hand and invited her in. "Come inside," he said, walking back into the party scene. He looked up at everyone who all had their phones or cameras out, recording that very moment between Penny and Sheldon. He felt the ends of his lips pull upward in a small smile while Howard, Bernadette, Raj, Amy, and Stuart all made their way towards the blonde.

Sheldon looked over his shoulder and said to Penny, "I'm just going to put your luggage in the spare room."

Penny nodded and averted her eyes to the group that was now surrounding her. "Spare ro- Howard! Raj! Stuart?"

When Sheldon got back to the kitchen after putting away Penny's luggage, he walked over to Leonard and Victoria who talking amongst each other. Leonard looked up to see Sheldon open up the fridge, pulling out a bottle of juice and pouring some into his cup. "Why don't you go over and talk to Penny?"

Sheldon shook his head and took a sip. "I can't. Not now. She looks quite busy reuniting with all of them."

"But you know she came back here for you," asked Leonard, raising a brow at his former roommate.

"She did?" Sheldon took another sip of his juice and glanced over at his social group – this time including Penny. The six of them were catching up, laughing, taking a few photos with each other, and drinking champagne from the bottle Penny had brought. Occasionally, she looked up at him, catching his eye and they both smiled at each other.

"She loves you, you know that?"

Sheldon turned to look at Leonard with a puzzled expression on his face. "Well if she loves me, then why didn't she ever return any of my emails? Or text messages? I don't understand…"

His best friend placed a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him. "Maybe you should go ask her."

"I will."

Sheldon placed his cup of juice back down on the counter and marched over to the social group. He tapped on Penny's shoulder, and did his best to speak up but he happened to be cut off every time. Everyone in the group couldn't help but ask Penny so many questions about New York, her acting career, and everything else. But Sheldon needed Penny right now, so he reached for her hand and tugged her out of the group. "Follow me," said Sheldon as he led her down the hallway and into his bedroom. Penny turned around and faced Sheldon and asked, "What are you doing, Sheldon?"

He shut his bedroom door behind him. "I must ask you something. It's very important and it's been irritating me for the past four years. So I demand you to answer truthfully because I want to know."

Penny looked at Sheldon before taking a seat at the end of his bed. There was a pause in between them before Penny patted the free spot next to her and said, "Sit next to me and I will tell you why…" Sheldon walked over and sat down next to Penny. The blonde shifted her sitting position so that she was now facing him.

She took in a deep breath and exhaled before speaking.

"The truth is, I wanted to reply to you. I wanted to write you back, I wanted to text you back – I could have done it all, but there was something that always stopped me. Every time I opened up a blank email, I would close it within 5 seconds. Every time I was going to text you back, I had even had the words typed up, I will delete the words and shut my phone off. And _don't_ get me started on Skype, Sheldon," she said when she noticed that Sheldon was going to speak up. "I didn't want to Skype with you because I didn't want to hear your voice."

Sheldon looked at her. "I don't understand. You've tolerated the sound of my voice for as long as you lived in the complex."

"I know, sweetie," she said softly. "But I couldn't talk to you because if I even heard so much of a 'hello' from you, I would have probably dropped everything I was doing, hop on a plane back to LA, and come back to you."

"You would have come back sooner," Sheldon asked.

Penny nodded. "I would, but I was busy in New York. I actually had auditions lined up for me and most of them were successful. For the past four years I was there, I managed to land 5 commercials – 3 of them for Macy's, the other 2 for an allergy medicine. I also got to guest star on a few shows – nothing big, but I mean, I was doing so great in New York. If I had heard your voice, I would have forgotten all of it and done anything I could to get my ass back in LA."

"Honestly, Sheldon," she continued. "You are the most complicated, irritating, narcissistic person I have ever met. I still can't seem to grasp the fact that I tolerated someone like you. I mean I dealt with your crazy schedules, complicated food orders, and random fun facts you like bringing up. And the day I moved in across the apartment, I would have never imagined becoming _this_ close to you," she said while grabbing Sheldon's hands, holding them tightly. "You have taught me so much about something I didn't even know existed. You helped me be seen as a regular, _pretty_ blonde when I used to just be seen as a dumb blonde. You are something special, Sheldon Cooper and I'm so, so, so sorry for not getting back to you. Believe me, I wanted to, but I just couldn't. I mean, having your picture as my screen saver was hard enough – listening to your voice would have killed me."

Sheldon whispered, "I'm your screen saver?"

"Yes, you are," Penny replied, while scooting closer to the intelligent man. "So, Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, I hope you can now understand why I couldn't reply to you. As robotic as you sound, it would only take one word for me to come running back, and New York was treating me so well I couldn't have left. It was a long and lonely four years, but sweetie, I'm back and you know what?"

"Mmm?"

"I love you."

Sheldon smiled.

"I love you as well, Penny."

Penny smiled.

And then something happened. Something that everyone would have not seen coming, not even Penny, but she was so happy it did. Sheldon had leaned in and kissed her. Most of the kisses Sheldon had were initiated from the other person, never himself. But this was different. This was when he realized something. He would have never expected to learn something from Penny, except maybe some acting lessons and socializing tips, but never something this huge.

_Love_.

To love and be loved was what he learned.

It was an indescribable sensation, but Sheldon went along with it and so did Penny. Who would have ever thought Sheldon would fall in love? It was something everyone thought was impossible, but they knew he wasn't made from stone. He was smart, successful - it was only a matter of time when Sheldon realized that he lacked something. So his hands had slowly let go of Penny's and trailed up her arms until they reached her neck, while he felt hers do the same. Their first, real kiss was everything she hoped it would be: sweet, playful, and full of real emotion.

There were a million things running through Sheldon's mind, but not one single thought was about science or Star Trek. Instead, he was thinking about the moment he was having with Penny and envisioning the moments that were to come. The future.

With his eyes shut and those joyful things going through his mind, he couldn't help but smile into the kiss.

Penny pulled away slightly and laughed. "Why is Sheldon Cooper smiling while kissing?"

"Because you came back," he said softly, with a smile.

The blonde ran her hands along Sheldon's shoulders until her two hands met at the back of his neck. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, smiling.

"I told you we'd see each other again."

Sheldon nodded and locked eyes with her.

"Now, where were we, Dr. Cooper?"

* * *

_Tada! _Happy ending for Sheldon and Penny! I wanted to keep it simple and sweet and hopefully this was just that. I hope you all enjoy this final part, as well as the whole three-part story. I really enjoyed writing this, and I might just consider writing more Shenny one-shots. Thank you for all the comments, feedback - they really helped me write this part. I wanted to end this on a good note, so I hope you all are pleased with the ending. Let me know what you think and if I should write more Sheldon/Penny stories.

**Fact**: I just finished season six of TBBT last night.

Enjoy! Xo


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